Right now there are some really interesting dramas on air on different channels. Most of these dramas wouldn’t have been as engaging as they are if the actors who play the leading and supporting roles were not translating their respective characters so impressively on screen. An actor’s performance can make or mar a character. Even the most well-written characters lose their appeal if they are not portrayed convincingly on screen. Only an actor who understands the character he is playing and puts his performance before everything else can do justice to a character. There are times when even the most simple supporting characters become easy to connect to when they are enacted on screen in the right manner. While playing a negative role, it is also really important for an actor to keep things real and not go overboard. An actor who manages to do that makes the viewers hate their character but the audience cannot help but praise the actor.
Here are some of the best performances by Pakistani actors from current dramas.
Bilal Abbas Khan (Pyar Ke Sadqay)
Bilal Abbas Khan is playing a challenging role in Pyar Ke Sadqay. After playing a negative role in Cheekh, he made a difficult decision of opting for playing the role of Abdullah who is a complete opposite of the character played by Bilal Abbas in Cheekh. It is also a fact that Bilal has translated this character so well on screen that he has managed to convince even those viewers of his acting prowess who were not sure if he could act convincingly. Bilal has made the viewers fall in love with and relate to his character. Even though some of the recent decisions made by Abdullah have been criticized for obvious reasons but his acting has stayed top-notch. Bilal has given some of the most meaningful expressions in the drama. He has brought out different shades of his character superbly on screen.
Hania Aamir (Dil Ruba)
The role Hania Aamir is playing in Dil Ruba is in no way likable yet just like always she has managed to completely nail yet another undesirable character. Even though Hania Aamir is being typecast but she always makes sure that her acting stays true to the character she is playing. Sanam is a selfish, careless, and manipulative young lady who has caused much harm and does not feel guilt at all. Hania does exceptionally well when she has to show the problem-solving side of her character. Even though the drama itself might be nothing more than a guilty pleasure, Hania’s performance definitely makes it worth watching.
Hira Mani (Kashf)
Hira Mani is playing the leading role in drama serial Kashf. Kashf’s character and story are unlike any other we have seen in Pakistani dramas. The entire concept is novel and for the most part, Kashf is the kind of girl who would do anything to please her parents and not be a troublemaker. The layers of this character exit when Kashf’s inner conflict is highlighted through different scenes. Hira Mani has made sure that she makes each one of these conflicts and different shades of Kashf’s personality come alive on screen. There are so many scenes in the drama in which Kashf is fearful of the future and she feels helpless, Hira has translated all these varying emotions flawlessly.
Junaid Khan (Kashf)
Junaid Khan always makes sure that he changes his entire look to suit the needs of the character he is playing. Wajdan’s character is a good example of the positive depiction of men in Pakistani dramas. He is responsible, committed, and extremely likable. The best part about Junaid Khan’s performance is that he looks like a man belonging to the class he is representing in the drama. He has not tried to add any outward charm to his character because the actual charm in Wajdan’s personality lies in his love for Kashf. It is definitely one of his best performances.
Munazzah Arif (Kashf)
Munazzah Arif plays a role which we have probably seen a little too often in dramas, a mother struggling to keep up with her duties and living with guilt yet Dilshad’s role has been translated on the screen so realistically by Munazzah Arif that you actually feel all of her struggles. Munazzah’s look for the role is just flawless as her portrayal. She looks like a woman who has been through a lot. Her character has been written and enacted on screen beautifully. Her performance is so impressive that she completely makes you forget the negative characters she played in Ranjha Ranjha Kardi and Inkaar. Munazzah Arif has shown through her performance that she can pull off any kind of role at all effortlessly.
Mohib Mirza (Dushman-e-Jaan)
After choosing to play roles in Deedan and Dil Ruba which were rather disappointing, Mohib Mirza is back with a bang as Hatim in drama serial Dushman-e-Jaan. Hatim’s character has undergone a lot of changes ever since the drama went on air and Mohib Mirza has once again shown his range as an actor by doing complete justice to all these changes in the character. Hatim went from being an insensitive and proud individual to someone entirely different. Mohib Mirza translated Hatim’s guilt and regret so well on screen that the viewers started seeing things from his character’s perspective. Mohib’s look for this role and his performance has been extraordinary.
Mawra Hocane (Sabaat)
Mawra Hocane is playing Anaya’s character in Sabaat. For the most part, Anaya is a sensible and intelligent young lady with an adventurous and romantic side. The character is well-written and one of the best things about a drama that doesn’t have much going for it. Mawra Hocane has never been seen in such a ‘plain’ look before. Even in drama serial Sammi, she was quite conscious of her styling and make-up. In Sabaat however, she has made sure that she looks as simple and traditional as Anaya should have looked. Mawra’s performance has been convincing and realistic throughout. She also has great on-screen chemistry with all her co-actors in the drama.
Nausheen Shah (Bikhray Moti)
Nausheen Shah is an exceptional actress who has recently been seen playing a rather short-lived role in drama serial Bikhray Moti. Even though her character existed early on in the drama yet it will continue to play a crucial role in the drama. Nausheen Shah performed so well that her scenes made the viewers cry. Faiza was shown as a woman who was a victim of domestic abuse, someone who tried her best to raise her children the best she could in the most unfavorable circumstances and even after she died she proved to be someone who wanted to keep her self-respect intact after death since she could not live the kind of dignified life she would have wanted to. Nausheen Shah performed so well that her character will stay in the viewers’ minds while they watch this drama in the future too.
Neelam Muneer (Bikhray Moti)
It is always good to watch an actor experimenting with different roles and it is even better watching the female actors opting to play roles that are not run-of-the-mill. Neelam Munir is playing one such character in drama serial Bikhray Moti which attempts to raise awareness about different social issues. Ayza’s character is that of a strong girl who is sensitive and caring. Her journey has just started but so far whatever we have seen suggests that she will turn out to the kind of female characters we rarely get to see in dramas. Neelam Muneer completely owns this role. She has carried it forward with the confidence that was needed to make it impactful.
Omair Rana (Pyar Ke Sadqay)
Omair Rana is a phenomenal actor who makes sure that he makes every character he plays come alive on screen. He is playing a negative role in Pyar Ke Sadqay. There is nothing remotely likable about Sarwar but Omair Rana’s performance is exceptional throughout. Sarwar is a completely different person around his wife, he shows his true colors when he is with his mother and Abdullah, with Mahjabeen he interacts on a completely different and undesirable manner. The way he has styled his character also makes it easy to understand why Mansoora fell for him. This is another one of Omair Rana’s best performances.
Samina Ahmed (Kashf and Bikhray Moti)
Samina Ahmed is another exceptional actress who has played so many different kinds of roles in her vast career. Right now in Kashf and Bikhray Moti she is playing negative characters but her performances are so on point that her character is almost always engaging. Although these two characters are somewhat similar, greedy and selfish, yet Samina Ahmed’s outlook and antics in both the dramas are completely different. Samina Ahmed’s performance shows that she can stand out in a negative character just as much as she can in a more meaningful and fun character as she played in Suno Chanda and Aangan.
Seemi Raheel (Sabaat)
Seemi Raheel is extremely adorable as Bushra in Sabaat. She is the kind of mother we see rarely in Pakistani dramas, she gives advice, complaints at times but at the end of the day her daughter’s happiness for her comes before everything else. It is one of the sweetest characters Seemi Raheel has played and she is extremely convincing as the mother who is constantly worrying about her daughter but never lets it show. She makes sure that Bushra’s caring side is always highlighted more than any other.
Srha Asghar (Pyar Ke Sadqay)
Srha Asghar’s role in Pyar Ke Sadqay is being loved by many because Washma is the perfect mix of different personality traits. She has her own underlying issues because of the kind of father she had and her step-father. She is an independent and wise girl who is not afraid of speaking her mind. Washma is the only one who can see through Sarwar and she was the first one to accept and lend support to Mahjabeen. Not only this, but she is also always there to give Abdullah much-needed advice and reality checks. Srha Asghar has portrayed her character faultlessly on screen. Most of the viewers would love to see more of her in the drama.
Syed Muhammad Ahmed (Sabaat)
Syed Muhammad Ahmed adds the kind of emotions in every scene he is a part of which very few actors can. He can be the best aba on-screen also the best friend as he was in Mere Pass Tum Ho. In Sabaat he plays the role of Aziz; a dotting father, an admirable husband, and most of all a wonderful human being. Syed Muhammad Ahmed is lovable in the role, he brings out the best in his character whether it is as a husband or a father.
Tooba Siddiqui (Dushman-e-Jaan)
Tooba Siddiqui is rarely seen on television, her role in Dushman-e-Jaan also made a tragic exit a few weeks after the drama aired. She played Ramsha’s character, a strong-willed, independent, caring, and focused woman. She made sure that her character was translated just as powerfully on screen as it deserved to be. Tooba’s body language and expressions were the best part of her portrayal. It was definitely sad watching her character exit from the drama so soon but her portrayal will always be remembered as one of the best.
Waseem Abbas (Kashf)
Waseem Abbas is a seasoned actor who has done everything from comedy to tragedy. He is playing the role of a greedy and selfish head of the family in drama serial Kashf. His character is an important one since it drives the story forward in more ways than one. Waseem Abbas owns his character completely, his performance in this drama leaves you in awe of his brilliance as an actor. He makes his character just as hateful and obnoxious as it was meant to be shown.
Yumna Zaidi (Pyar Ke Sadqay)
Yumna Zaidi’s versatility has always impressed the viewers but this time around she chose to play a role which is completely different from any other role she has played to date. Mahjabeen from Pyar Ke Sadqay is utterly innocent and admirable. Yumna Zaidi makes the viewers laugh and cry with her almost effortlessly. The way she has translated Mahjabeen’s cuteness on-screen is simply the best part of the entire drama.
What do you think about these performances? Do add more names to the list.
